Chapter 24
At three o'clock, Hansen walked in on time, dressed in a sharp suit.
All the executives of the Richards Group stood up and held their breath.
During meetings, Hansen had always been very punctual. He never thought that leaders should arrive a few minutes late; he felt that such an act was very pretentious.
Therefore, he had always been punctual, and he did not allow his staff to be late either.
When Jenna woke up and rushed over, the meeting was about to start!
Hansen looked at Jenna, who was standing at the door sheepishly. Her eyes were red and swollen. Her hands were wrapped with white gauze, and she was holding a notebook in her left hand. "Come in and sit down," he said calmly, pointing at the empty seat next to him.
Jenna walked in quietly, but she was stunned in her heart.
She did not expect that her seat would be by Hansen's side.
Aria McAdams was sitting opposite her.
She was dressed up enchantingly, her almond-shaped eyes exuding confidence and pride.
She looked at Jenna with her sparkling eyes, blinking slightly, as if to show off her superiority. She then said sternly,
"Miss Murphy, the meeting is held at 3 o'clock. I think Perrie has already made it clear to you. Please follow the company rules from now on."
Her face was full of righteousness and the words she chose were merciless. Jenna sat quietly, not looking at her.
"Humph!" Hansen snorted and glared at Aria, whose face suddenly darkened at his reaction. Seeing the upset expression in his eyes, she stopped talking.
"Let's get started," he cleared his voice and glanced at Jenna's wound. This woman was sitting next to him, but she tilted her head to the other side, facing away from him.
The corners of his mouth curled up slightly.
She must have done it on purpose! Thinking about what happened at noon, she must still have a grudge against him.
"Mr. Richards, all the equipment has been prepared, including the things needed for the party. Please take a look, sir." Perrie Peters was dressed in a professional suit, and she looked shrewd and capable. As Hansen's special assistant, she acted swiftly and was very competent. Her elegant makeup and beautiful temperament perfectly represented the professionalism of Richards Group.
"Okay," Hansen nodded. He took over the list handed to him by Perrie and looked at it for a while. Then he handed it to Aria beside him.
Aria took it from him with her slender fingers. She smiled lightly and said, "Mr. Richards, don't worry. This venue is under my protection. It's in line with the upper-class style both in the country and also abroad. I'm sure you'll be satisfied."
Hansen nodded. He was very assured of this. As the daughter of the Mayor McAdams of A City, she had been influenced by various fashion events since she was a child. She had unique tastes in fashion and trends. It would not be difficult for her to design and set up a venue like this.
"For the press conference this time, we will mainly focus on the sale of luxury cars. We must make sure it covers the global market. This year, the main project of Richards Group is to expand throughout the whole of Asia, take over the global market, and seize new opportunities." Hansen's slender fingers knocked on the table. His words were clear, with a distinct aggressiveness and determination.
Jenna really didn't understand what Hansen wanted from her. Logically speaking, even an executive who was not under a contract would not be able to join in the confidential meetings related to the company's trade secrets. She was merely an unofficial staff member.
However, Hansen asked her to come to the meeting.
He even made arrangements for her to be seated beside him.
She really couldn't understand his intention, but she tolerated it, because it didn't matter too much to her.
"Mr. Richards, these are some recent designs from the Richards Group's designers. Please take a look, sir." Newman Grotefrom the design department stood up and walked over. He handed over a stack of designs with both hands and respectfully answered Hansen's questions from time to time.
Hansen's sharp eyebrows twitched slightly; he was thinking while he asked his questions. No emotion could be seen on his face.
After a long time, he turned his head to Jenna who had been sitting there silently.
"Miss Murphy, would you like to have a look at these designs?" His dark eyes were deep and inquisitive.
Jenna had been sitting there quietly. She saw how Hansen was looking at Aria; his eyes were full of admiration. However, when he turned to ask for her opinion, the light in his eyes was unreadable, and she could even feel suspicion.
He obviously didn't trust her!
Jenna sneered in her heart.
Only then did she understand why Hansen asked her to come. It was because he did not trust her.
Originally, this would have been her home and she would have had a responsibility for this company. Now, however, she had nothing to do with this place. She even felt that it was ridiculous for her to sit here. The corner of her mouth twitched. She stretched out her left hand to take it and flipped it casually. Without further thought, she tore it into pieces and threw it into the trash can beside her.
"Jenna, what do you mean by this?" Aria's face was full of anger and she immediately shouted, "What kind of attitude is this? You obviously do not respect other people's efforts. You should know that this is the work of several of the senior designers in our company. It took them a long time to come up with the designs, but you just carelessly threw it into the trash can like that. Who gave you the courage to do so?" Jenna gently blew the scraps of paper in her hand and blinked her beautiful eyes. Unexpectedly, she shot a playful grin at Aria's righteous face.
She ignored her anger.
Everyone stared at her. Some were puzzled, some were dissatisfied, and some were even angry.
Hansen was also looking at her with his dark eyes, his sharp eyebrows were like dark peaks. His expression was calm and there was a glint in his eyes that made him look elusive.
"Miss Murphy, can you give me an explanation?" A middle-aged senior designer stood up and seemed very unhappy with her actions.
In the Richards Group, everyone respected him. He was the one who developed these designs. He spent several nights and racked his brain, but Jenna tore them up in front of Hansen without even looking at them properly. It was obvious that she didn't give him the respect he deserved.
Moreover, she did this in front of Hansen, which really embarrassed them.
A woman could be talented and a little arrogant, but to be so direct and unreasonable was unacceptable.
There were whispers coming from the rest of the people.
In all the meetings that Hansen had hosted, no one but Jenna had the guts to be so presumptuous!
They all looked at Hansen.
Hansen's expression was surprisingly calm, and he was not as strict as he used to be with an employee. Everyone in the company knew of their past relationship, and they were trying to guess what he would
do.
Aria was also sitting next to him. Was it really okay for an ex-wife to share a meeting room with a mistress who was about to be his official wife?
The atmosphere was eerie.
Hansen snorted and looked at all the people present with a dignified gaze.
In an instant, everyone fell silent.
The male designer also sat down.
Jenna stroked her chin with her hand and shook her head slightly. Her gaze met Hansen's inquisitive eyes.
As if she was superior to Jenna, Aria, stared at her aggressively.
Jenna smiled faintly and said calmly, "Mr. Richards, if I'm not mistaken, you emphasized that you want this car design to reach the global market, am I right?"
Hansen sat up straight as if he hadn't been sitting comfortably. His slender legs were dangling, and his big hands were placed on the armrest as he leaned over to her and nodded. "That's right. These designs may be considered luxurious in A city; they might also be acceptable in our country. However, if you want it to be accepted globally, it will be difficult. As they do not meet international standards, they are of course, useless and should be thrown away." Her tone was calm and concise.
During her three years abroad, she learned that these kinds of domestic cars were not magnificent enough. Many of them were fancy and looked exquisite, but in fact, they were burdensome. They were not practical and could not satisfy the needs of the foreign market.
When she walked in, she had already seen the design model on the screen and she rejected it immediately!
It was difficult for people who were fixed in their ways to change their minds, especially middle-aged people.
Only when it was completely destroyed could it be re-established. If it still existed, it would unconsciously affect their way of thinking.
Locally manufactured designs would never be able to break through this limitation!
So when she glanced at it, she had already understood!
"How arrogant!" Aria's heart was filled with anger. She smiled scornfully and asked disdainfully, "In that case, please, Miss Murphy, show us your designs and let us learn something from you."
"I don't have any," Jenna shrugged her shoulders and answered briefly as she looked at her aggressive gaze.
"You don't have any?" Aria sneered, her heart full of disdain. She said with a forced smile, "In that case, you must have simply drawn your previous designs, or maybe you don't have the ability at all."
"It's all possible," Jenna did not deny it but she was sincere. That car was designed for Hansen. She was currently in a bad mood and did not know if she could design a better model. Therefore, she did not hide anything and answered in a straightforward manner. Her eyes were bright and her expression was calm.
However, her keen observation was not fake. At present, that was what she could do.
"It was your idea to ask me to come, I didn't ask to be here," she said calmly.
"As expected, she is a fraud." Aria thought as she smiled brightly and looked at Hansen with her beautiful dark eyes.
This time, he should know that this woman was not that good at all. She wasn't capable of anything, and he shouldn't be mesmerized by her appearance. She was just lucky that time. Aria felt happy in her heart.
At this time, Hansen's expression was so unreadable that no one could tell what he was thinking.
"Don't forget your responsibilities." He turned his head to stare at Jenna's face and snorted.
"Of course, I'll always remember, but don't forget your promise, Mr. Richards. It may be a simple matter for you, but I still haven't gotten it for a few days now. For me, inspiration isn't something that comes whenever I want it to. After all, good inspiration comes from life, it is the sediment of life, and you just cannot rush it." Jenna raised her eyebrows and smiled harmlessly. She answered in a neither humble nor overbearing way.
The cold and tight feeling in Hansen's heart suddenly disappeared and he felt comforted.
He immediately avoided her smile and turned around.
D*mned woman, how could she smile so happily at a time like this? Was he already unsalvageable? Whenever he watched her every move, his imagination would run wild.
Unbelievable!